Parmesan Pizza Crust

3/31/11

Parmesan Crust Pizza

So the recipe turned out good! It calls for wheat flour, which is what I used, but wheat can be too overwhelming so we didn't really taste the parmesan in the crust. Next time I will just use All-purpose flour. This recipe is taken from a blog I found a while ago How Sweet it is. So here it is....

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 – 1 cup lukewarm water

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, yeast and parmesan cheese. Mix with a spoon and create a well in the middle. Add in 3/4 cups water, honey and olive oil. Stir with a spoon until dough comes together. Continue to form into a ball with your hands. If more water is needed, add it by the tablespoon.

Knead dough for 1-2 minutes before placing it in a lightly oiled bowl and covering. Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Here is the bread in the oven rising. I let it rise only about an hour and it was fine.

Then I spread it out on the pan. I spray a light coating of Olive Oil cooking spray so the dough doesn't stick to the pan.

Yummy grated cheese :)

I used Colby Jack and Mozzarella. For extra flavor put about 1/4 a tub of Philadelphia Italian herb and cheese cooking creme. Delish. It doesn't have to add extra fat if you don't put as much grated cheese on it!

I make my own sauces for everything. I just threw this and that in. I used some tomato paste and some petite diced tomatoes along with tomato sauce (I use all-natural sauce and no salt added). I usually throw in some Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, garlic powder, etc.

Yummy...I forgot to take a pic when it came out of the oven. Oops. We liked it though!

My girl and I have been having so much fun during the day while her daddy works hard :)

Lots of playing and laughing. We went on a bike ride for a little bit today and roamed around. Abigail just sat in her trail-behind, bundled in her coat, and didn't make a peep (which is rare now) to watch everything. It was fun. She also LOVES our cat Jules. Abby gets really excited when I take her to the cat to pet her. She is also sitting up by herself but can't stay too long without toppling over yet. I'm sure she'll be a pro in a few days.

So I had to throw in life at the Johnson's. How could I not?!

Playtime with Abigail

3/21/11

This photo characterizes Abigail's new phase...wanting to touch things! I am actually excited about this phase and not upset because I know that it means she is learning like crazy! We are doing a new activity that she's ready for and I see the wheels turning.

I agree and use most of the Montessori teaching style. They have activities to do with your child starting from birth. This one involves a box. Instead of buying the one they offer for $50, I made one from scrap cardboard and paper I had for FREE. Here's the box I made.

You use a ping pong ball and put it in the hole.

They it comes out the hole.

The goal is for her to do it herself. She is doing well with holding the ball and she's put it in the hole 2 times on her own. It's so good for the pincer grip (thumb and forefinger) and for her to learn how things work. I love my girl and we're having fun!!!!

Oh Life...

3/13/11

My princess :)

So it's been a while......a long while. This is not on purpose. Life has been sooo busy. Can I tell you a little bit about it?

Well, my daughter always keeps me busy, but Fit For Life is close behind because of our bootcamp. It is time-consuming to prepare the workouts and then go to do them 2 times a week (but it's so fun!). Also, we have been putting things together for evening classes which start next month. Plus, I exercise on my own almost each day. I have been neglecting my Exercise Therapy Certification, which is a whole other realm....geesh.

With all this, my daughter has been out of my sight a little more and sometimes it's nice but it is hard...for both of us. I can tell it's affecting her cause she seems more clingy. Granted, we're talking a mere few hours a week...and most of that time she is in the same building as me. You can tell we spend 24/7 together. I just love her though.

Ok, personal life now. We're selling our truck and buying bikes to ride more places. Praying the guy who's interested pulls through. Also, read a couple hundred page book the other day....I was really into it! I've started teaching Abigail new stuff so that's a whole program in itself.

On top of all these things there's still all the spring parties I've been invited to, girl's nights, small group, church, spending personal time with the Lord and my hubby, cleaning house, laundry, and taking care of my wonderful husband, I'm one busy lady!

I can see why women get overwhelmed and I don't see how moms work full-time jobs! I'm so thankful that I have the Lord who can help me manage my day and that I can give it to Him. I need His help to balance these things and learn to say no when needed.

oh yeah.

We aren't getting good sleep because we need a new bed really bad. It's old and our bodies hurt when we wake up...this is not fun with how busy things are. The Lord provides though!!

Abigail...4 months

2/23/11

My little girl is 4 months!!

Can you tell she's more active? She crinkled the paper up!

Better late than never to post this! My little girl turned 4 months last Wednesday. Oh my goodness she is growing and changing. She is doing really well with her solid food. She LOVES sweet potatoes. She tried blueberries tonight and liked them at first but then decided all the sudden that she didn't like them. So Kyle gave her some of my leftover vanilla yogurt and she loved that a lot. It's so fun.

Abigail is playing more. She rediscovered her play gym because I didn't put her on it for almost a week but I did yesterday. She played for over an hour by herself on it by hitting the toys, grabbing them, talking, and rolling over. So cute!

Night time is actually really fun now, which was not so at first. After she eats 'dinner', we play in her room and I read her books. I read some scripture and pray for her and she conveniently gets tired at the end. We give kisses and I put her in the crib. Lights off. She doesn't make a sound and goes to sleep :)

Last night we had her babysat by someone other than my parents, Tiree and Jimmy, and it apparently didn't go the greatest. Tiree was so gracious and made it through Abigail's screaming for her mommy. I felt so bad. It was only a couple hours or so but she is a momma's girl! I realized something about myself. I realized that I am more attached to my girl than I knew. All night last night I wanted to cuddle with her cause I missed her but she was sleeping. This morning I had MOPS and told them to get me if she got upset cause I was concerned. I missed her! Can you tell I am with my girl 24/7 and she doesn't get babysat??? haha. Bottom line, I am so blessed and grateful for my girl. I fall in love with her more everyday just like the Father and my husband. I thank God for her and my wonderful husband each day.

A Couple Healthy Snack Ideas

2/13/11

As I was grocery shopping the other day, I stumbled upon a couple things that I had never seen. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I'm always looking for all natural/organic foods that are not too expensive and can replace things that are unhealthy common foods. Well, here's a JEM...Buddy Fruits. Blended fruit with no added sugar, preservatives, or anything unhealthy for you. The best part is that it is perfect for travel and they're a whopping 88 cents! So if you're always on the go and/or have kids then this is for you. Just unscrew the cap and eat!

The other thing I found is veggie dip. So many people eat veggie dip that almost defeats the purpose of eating the vegetables because the dip is loaded with crap. Well here is a dip made from Greek Yogurt (which is very healthy) and it tastes amazing. I'm not lying. It's not any more expensive than regular veggie dip and I think tastes better.

Both are found at Walmart. There are solutions coming out at grocery stores everywhere. The more healthy foods you buy, the more the stores will supply and put more energy into meeting the demands. So choose to be healthy for you and your family!

Things I like...Organic

2/8/11

Organic is great. Why? Because it's good for my baby girl. It keeps chemicals and crap out of my girl's system that can mess up her body. Organic also helps her absorb more of the right nutrients and minerals her system needs.

So because I like Organic things, this is what I have for her. Organic baby rice cereal. Abigail tried this tonight and ate it all! Apparently she is going through a growth spurt because she had a full feeding from me, full feeding from milk I stored in a bottle, and baby cereal! I also have Organic or chemical-free baby spoons, bowl, tray, and sippy cup. We are in business to get her what she needs in a healthy way.

We also use Melaleuca products which is Organic. Body wash, shampoo, lotion, and cleaning supplies are from there and are safe for our family. It's nice cause I don't have to worry about cleaning supplies harming her if she gets into them. If I could do organic for everything in my life, I would. It's just so worth it to keep chemicals out of one's body. I like Organic because it's going to let my girl have a happier and healthier life!

Sometimes the frustrations...

2/7/11

I love this picture. It is perfect for Abigail's first Valentine's Day....what taste of sugar!!

I love being a mom and being a trained professional in exercise and nutrition. Sometimes both are hard. I have gotten a little frustrated as a Nutritionist lately. I get frustrated because it's so so so hard to influence people sometimes. I know I have the capabilities to help people get free from sickness, love their body, have energy, balance hormones, etc. Instead of listening, people continue to make choices that only hurt their bodies and get defensive about it. I didn't speak directly to this person in particular, but it frustrates me to know that they are closed minded. I feel like sometimes people won't listen unless you work at a doctor's office and have MD after your name. But having specific training in how to lose weight and living a healthy lifestyle, it's frustrating for people to recognize what they are missing out on. They'd rather pay a fortune to diet companies (or just wait to pay till they get on medications and get diagnosed with a disease or cancer), mess up their metabolism, skip meals, be fat, hate their body, have no energy, and eat their processed food; instead of really living life the way God intended.

People make comments about the way I look and can even be critical that I have returned to my pre-pregnancy body (almost..in my eyes) quickly, like it's a bad thing. All I am doing is trying to eat and exercise the way everyone should. I want to share with others is how to be healthy and help them reap the benefits, but people don't want to listen. They want a quick fix instead of surrendering their body to the Lord and making it a priority. Instead of taking the opportunity to cut out something that is harmful, excuses are made as to why they should continue to keep harmful things in their diet. The drive to please the Lord in this area of life is seen in few people (my opinion).

Alright, done with my ranting. Now, it's time to give this to the Lord and rely on Him to help me be affective with others. This is not intended to offend anyone who reads this, just to express some frustration in life. The Lord is in control and will hopefully continue to bring the right people to Fit For Life in order to get their health on track.